Concerns grow that China using video games to influence users, harvest data, shape narratives

JTN:

The field of international relations is synonymous with the concept of power — more specifically, “hard” power and “soft” power. The former refers to a country’s use of coercive tactics to get what it wants; the latter employs the carrot rather than the stick. It involves the shaping of preferences through more subtle means. 

Examples of soft power include economic power, political and religious values, diplomacy, and culture. Within culture, we find art, music, and video games. Yes, video games. With their vast popularity and reach, video games are among the most influential, if often overlooked, forms of soft power in today’s world. But one place it’s not overlooked is Beijing.

Last year, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) referred to online gaming as “spiritual opium,” warning that the industry, now “worth hundreds of billions,” could “destroy a generation.” Soon after the announcement, Beijing barred those under the age of 18 from gaming on weekdays and limited their play to just three hours on weekends.  MORE